Piston water-meter



(No Model.) 2Sheets-Sheet 1. J. R. NORFOLK.

PISTON WATER METER.

N0 319,992. PatentedJun-e 16,1885.

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( No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. R. NOR-FOLK.

PISTON WATER METER. No. 319,992. I Patented June 16, 1885.

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ZIlIl%IV////// 9 9+ 9 WITNESSES INVENTEIH' NITED STATES JOHN R. NORFOLK,OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

PI'SATON WATER-METER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 319,992, dated June 16,1885. I

Application filed March 23, 1885.

T0 aZZ whom it. may concern.-

Be it known'that I, JoHN B. NORFOLK, a citizen of the United States,residing at Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fluid Meters, ofwhich the following is a full, clear, and exact description, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, making part of thisspecification, in which- Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical sectionthrough the center of a fluid meter constructed in accordance with myinvention. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section of the same, some of the partsbeing removed and others broken away to show the interior construction.Fig. 3 is a transverse section on the line :0 wet Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is aplan and elevation of the cover of the valve-case. Fig. 5 is a sectionthrough the vibrating lever which operates the valve, and Fig. 6 is anend elevation of the same. Fig. 7 is a plan and elevation of thevalve.Fig. 8 is a sectional detail of the valve and its casing.

My invention relates to certain improvements on that class of meters ofthe positivedisplacement type known as single-piston meters, with areciprocating movement, and in which the valve is operated by avibrating lever that is actuated by the movement of the piston.

The novelty of my invention consists in the form and construction of thevalve, the valvecase, and the mechanism for operating the valve, andalso in the employment of a current deflector or distributer fordividing the inflowing current into several streams,whereby the pressureof the fluid is equalized within all portions of the valve-chamber.

In the meter herein described and illustrated in the said drawings, thevalve Q is alternately moved by the vibrating lever M, which lever isoperated by the piston G, consisting of two heads connected by apiston-rod, H, the piston and rod being of the usual construction. Thepiston-rod H has a collar, J, on each end, inside the piston-headsG,which engages with the upper end of the lever M during a portion ofthe movement of the piston, carrying the lever in the direction thepiston is moving until the said lever has passed the dead-center line,from which point the lever trips or falls (No model.)

over by its own gravitation. The valve does not have a continuousmotion, but remains at rest at the end of the valve-case until the leverM has passed the dead-center line.

The meter consists of two cylinders, A A, having a valve-chamber, B,between them, in which the valve mechanism is placed, the cylindersbeing each provided at the outer end with a cover, F, and thevalve-chamber and cyliders being made in a single casting.

The valvechamber B is covered by two plates, D E. The bottom plate, E,to which the valve mechanism is attached and in which are formed theports WV L W, connecting with the passages W in the cylinders, I termthe valve-plate. The top plate, D, I term the cover, and to this coverany ofthe several well-known devices for registration can be attached.

The valve Q is a casting of brass or other suitable material, and is ofthe proper size and form to fit the valve-case P, so as to allow it tobe easily moved therein. It has two central ports, T T, open from top tobottom, which are of proper length to correspond with the ports V L \Vin the valve-seat I in plate E and with the openings f in the cover B.

The valve is provided with a stud, U, on each side, of proper length topass through the sides of case P and the slot N in the lever M.

The ends Q Q and middle bar, Q of the valve Q must be the proper widthand distance apart to allow full opening or communication through portsT T in the valve with ports W L W in the valve-seat when the valve is atthe end of its movement. The middle bar, Q, is of such width as to coverone-half the area of the outlet-port L in the valve-seat when the valveQ is in the center of its movement, as seen in Fig. 8, leavingone-quarter of the port L open at each side of the bar Q". \Vhen thevalve is in this position, the outer edge of each of its ports T isbeyond the outer edge of the valve-seat and the inner edge of theaperture f in the cover B, leaving a space equal to one-quarter of thewidth of a port W open to the chamber B on each side, thus allowing afree and direct passage of the fluid from the chamber B through theports T T in each side of the valve to the outlet-port L without passingthrough either cylinder.

By this mode of construction of the valve ICO and valvecase and thearrangement of the ports, direct communication between the valvechamberB and the outlet-port L is established when the piston is at the end ofits stroke and its movement is being reversed, and the press ure of thefluid on each head of the piston is also equalized at this time, thuspreventing all noise, water-hammer, or pulsation, which is a greatobjection to meters of this description as heretofore constructed.

The valve-case P and valve-plate E here shown form one casting; but thevalve-case may, if preferred, consist of a separate casting secured tothe plate E by proper bolts or screws. The bottom of the case P formsthe valve-seat P", having the inlet-ports W W and outlet-port L therein.The case P is provided with the cover R, securely bolted to the top sideand having the port-ion between the ap' erturesffof the same width asthe valve-seat, and leaving the same width of opening on the upper sideof valve Q through the ports T T as there is at the bottom, thusallowing the fluid to enter the ports T T both from top and bottom atthe same time.

The cover R is provided with a pocket or aperture at each end, in whichis secured a stop, S. These stops S are preferably formed of rubber, butmay be of other suitable mate rial, and are for the purpose ofregulating or limiting the movement of the rocking or vibrating lever Min either direction.

The case P is provided on each side, at the center, with a recess, V,extending downward from the top and of the proper length and depthtoallow the studs U of the valve Q to move freely therein.

The vibrating lever M is pivoted to the sides of the valve-case P, whichlatter is provided with studs 0 fitting within bearings Oin the sidearms, I), of the lever, as seen in Figs. 2 and 3, and this leveractuatcs the valve Q as soon as it has been raised to a verticalposition and carried just far enough beyond the center to enable it tofall over or trip by its own gravity, as before described. This lever Mis composed of two halves or portions fastened securely together by thescrew X and dowelpin X-,as seen in Fig. 5.

At the upper end of the lever M and formed integral therewith are twoheavyweights or projections, a a, of the form shown, which are soarranged on either side of the center of the lever as to allow thepiston-rod H to move freely between them, the edges of these projectionsbeing flattened to present a fair wearing-surface to the collars J; andthese projections must be of sufficient weight to insure the quickdropping of the lever after it has passed the center, and the movementof the valve thereby. The lower ends of the lever M consist of two arms,b b, with sufficient space between them to span the valve-case P, eacharm having the bearing 0 at its lower end, that fits ,over the stud O onthe side of the valve-case.

Above the bearing 0 each arm I) is provided with an elongated slot, N,through which the stud U on the valve Q. passes. This slot is of theproper length to allow the valve to remain at rest while the lever isbeing moved by the piston, and to cause one or the other of its ends tobe brought into contact with the stud U of the valve as soon as thelever commences to fall, whereby the shifting of the valve is-efl'ected.

The current-deflector 0 consists of a thin metal disk having a dishedcenter, preferably shaped as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The walls or sidesof this dished portion are of sufficient depth to allow a series ofsmall holes, (I, to be formed therein around its periphery, theaggregate of the areas of these apertures being fully equal to doublethe area of the inlet pipe. The object and function of the deflector Cis to separate the body of the inflowing current of fluid into severalsmall streams and distribute them at different points in thevalve-chamber, B, said streams entering at a right angle. or nearly so,to the direction in which the fluid enters the deflector, therebypreventing the compact body of the inflowing current from impingingdirectly on the lever M and valve Q, and by its pressure thereonretarding the action of the moving parts.

The deflector C may be attached to the valve chamber Beither on theinside or outside, and is directly opposite to or in line with theinlet-pipe. In the drawings the deflector is shown as attached on theoutside of the valvechamber, and over the deflector is placed a cover,K", having a threaded orifice at the center, to which the inlet-pipe isto be attached.

If the deflector is attached to the insideof the valve-chamber the coverK can be dispensed with and connection with the inlet-pipe made directlywith the valve chamber outside the deflector.

The advantages of the above-described meter are that it has a balancedslidevalve, has no springs, and but few joints. It is durable, simple,and inexpensive, and operates positively and correctly under varyingpressures with full opening or very small stream.

The operation of my meter may be thus described: Referring to thedrawings, the piston G G is shown near the end of its stroke and movingin the direction of the arrow 20, the valve Q and lever M being at restin the position shown. The fluid passes through the inlet K into andthrough the deflector O, filling the valve chamber B, and thence passesthrough the ports and passages before described to and from thecylinders to the outlet L. The valve when in the position shown allowsthe fluid to pass from the chamber B through the port T, the port WV inthe valveseat, and the water-way W to the left-hand cylinder, when itwill move the piston, if the outlet is open. As the piston moves, thelefthand collar, J, on the piston-rod H, engages with the projections aa, forming the upper end of the lever M, which is thus moved or rockedon its pivots until it reaches the cen- IIO ter, when it falls over ortrips by its own weight, as before described, until it is arrested bystriking one of the stops S. At the instant when it commences to fallover the ends of the slots N in the side bars of the lever M engage thestuds U on the sides of the valve Q, which is then moved by the fall ofthe lever M to the other end of the valve-case, thereby changing thedirection of the current of fluid, and causing it to enter the oppositecylinder, and reverse the movement of the piston. This operation isrepeated at each reciprocation of the piston.

While the valve Q is in the position shown in Fig. 1, the port T on theright-hand side is closed to the chamber B and open to the ports W and Lin the valve-seat, allowing the water to pass from the right-handcylinder to the outlet.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

1. In a fluid-meter, the combination, with the cylinders AA,reeiprocating piston G,and the valve-chamber B, of the valve Q, havingthe ports T T extending entirely through it, the valve-case P, havingthe inlet-ports \V NV and theoutlet-port L, and the cover R, constructedand arranged, as described, to admit the fluid to the ports T T andallow a free passage of the fluid from the chamber B through the saidports T T to the outlet-port L while the valve is being shifted, andmeans,substantially as described, for moving the valve Q from one sideof the valve-case to the other at the valve Q, placed within thevalve-chamber B and having the studs U, of the rocking weighted lever M,provided with slots N for the reception of the studs U,the reciprocatingpiston G, and the piston-rod H,having the collars J J, whereby the leveris carried up to a central vertical position by the movement of case andpivoted thereto, and provided at its upper end with the weightedprojections a a,arranged on opposite sides of the piston-rod, alloperating substantially in the manner and for the purpose described.

4. In a fluid-meter, the combination, with the valvechamber B, of thecurrent-deflector C, havinga dish-shaped central portion and Walls orsides provided with peripheral holes (1, whereby the inflowing currentof fluid is di vided and projected into the valvechamber in smallstreams at a right angle,or nearly so, to the direction in which thefluid enters the deflector, substantially as described.

5. In a fluid-meter, the combination, with the valve-chamber B, of thecurrent-deflector 0, having a dish-shaped central portion provided withperipheral holes (I, and the cover K arranged on the outside of thedeflector and having the inlet K, all constructed to operatesubstantially as set forth.

\Vitness my hand this 26th day of March, A. D. 1885.

JOHN R. NORFOLK.

In presence of- P. E. TESOHEMAOHER,

W. J. CAMBRIDGE.

